


Eating Heads All Day, the Symbiote Way

by PurpleArrowzandLeather



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: As if Carlton Drake wasn't mean enough already, Emotional Trauma, F/M, Physical Trauma, Torture, What could have happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-07 06:09:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16402763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleArrowzandLeather/pseuds/PurpleArrowzandLeather
Summary: After confronting Carlton Drake about his rocket and the human trials, Eddie never makes it home.





	Eating Heads All Day, the Symbiote Way

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this! :)

          Eddie can see the masked horror on Drake's face as he realizes Eddie knows about the human trials. Once the press shut down their cameras, Carlton asks for a moment alone with the reporter, taking him off to the side. Eddie wonders if he's surprised him enough to get real answers out of him or if he's just going to try to bribe him.

          "Mr. Brock, you came here today to ask questions about my rocket. I would.... very much like to know where you got your information."

          "Because it's true? People are dying, Mr. Drake. It's wrong!"

          "And just what did you think you would accomplish by coming here and wasting my time with assumptions? I never said a thing about human trials, and yet you seem to know an awful lot about things that aren't common knowledge. So, let me be more direct." He crosses his arms. "Who is your source?"

          Eddie huffs. "I'm not telling you that. I wouldn't even tell my boss that."

          "Your boss didn't know about your little plan to ruin my life? That's just... terrible. Imagine how he's going to react when you get back. He'll have your termination papers on his desk before you even step in the front door."

          "If you think getting me fired is enough to scare me-"

          "I'm not, Mr. Brock. Getting you fired requires work on my end. No, what I have planned is much simpler than that. Look around you."

          Eddie shrugs, seeing no one around. "No one's here."

          "Exactly."

          Eddie doesn't react in time to stop the hand coming towards him. A needle pierces his skin and he gasps as Drake presses the plunger down. "What are you-"

          "You'll just disappear, Brock. No one will even come looking for you."

          "You're wrong, you-" Eddie stumbles back, falling. "What did you do to me?" he blinks, shaking his head to clear his vision.

          "Just a mild sedative. Don't worry." Drake gestures towards someone and Eddie can feel himself being dragged. "You won't feel a thing. At least, for a little while."

          Everything goes dark just as they dump him in the elevator. His stomach drops as he loses all feeling and he's dragged under by a sudden weight in his mind. It takes him what feels like hours of struggling the resurface, and even then, he barely manages to get his eyes open.

          He groans, attempting to move, but finds that he can't. He snaps to attention, cutting through the fog in his mind and coming to full awareness. He jolts, arms and legs both pinned to the chair he's sitting in. The zip-ties are tight, one around each wrist and cinched as far as they'll go. His fingers are cold. He also finds that they've strapped his torso to the middle rung. Apparently falling out of said chair is not an option. His skull pounds and he groans, looking around the room for a way out. 

          There isn't one. Go figure. 

          Eddie swears under his breath when he sees Carlton Drake standing outside of his cell, the glass wall that's monitoring his condition beeping as his heart rate picks up. 

          "Welcome back, Mr. Brock. You came back around a lot faster than I would have anticipated."

          Eddie huffs out a chuckle. "Impressed?"

          "Unfortunately for you, no." He waves to his bodyguards. "Bring him to the observation room so that he can see just exactly what his work has uncovered."

          Eddie's cell opens with a swipe of Drake's key card and the guards drag his chair through the hallway of labs. Eddie squirms to no avail, grimacing as his chair slams back down onto all four legs again. His head hurts to much for this kind of thing. Drake puts a finger under his chin from off to the side and lifts his gaze to the lab in front of them. Two glass cases are standing at the far side of the room, some sort of liquid slashing around inside them. One is black, and the other is red. And..... _shit_.

          There's a body on the floor, shriveled beyond recognition and covered in blue goop. It's not dissimilar to the liquids in the tubes, but it's completely still. Dead.

          "What is that stuff?"

          "We call them symbiotes." Drake says proudly, letting Eddie's face go. "They need hosts to survive on earth, but it appears that animals and humans don't possess the proper anatomy to sustain them either. We've been doing human trials to figure out why, but so far we haven't come up with anything."

          "Why are you telling me this?"

          "It's not like you're leaving here anytime soon, Mr. Brock. I figured that you might like a front-row seat."

          Eddie doesn't like this at all. 

          "Bring in the next candidate." 

          Eddie's eyes widen. "Wait, what?"

          "All in good time, Mr. Brock." Drake says, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "You'll see soon enough."

          Eddie watches with rapt attention as they put a person into the lab room. He's not very tall, growth probably stunted by malnutrition. His clothes hang off of his frame and Eddie would be very tempted to say this kid lives under a bridge somewhere with the closest group of homeless people. He looks willing enough to be a lab rat, though they probably offered him money. 

          "Eddie, meet David."

          "David who?" Eddie hisses, watching the liquid in the tanks start to struggle harder.

          "Who cares?" Carlton shrugs. "No one will miss him."

          "S-Sir? Can you explain what's gonna happen?" David says, drawing their attention back to him.

          Drake approaches the glass, smiling encouragingly. "You're going to help us save the world, David." 

          The kid, who can't be older than 20, swallows, nodding. "Okay."

          "No, don't!" Eddie shouts, about to shout more as a guard punches him in the stomach. 

          Eddie wheezes. Coughing. The kid stares at Eddie, wide-eyed and anxious. "Mr. Drake, who is that?"

          "He's of no concern of yous, David. He's trying to stop us."

          David nods. "Yes, sir."

          When the kid is facing away from them, Carlton grabs onto Eddie's short hair as much as he can, dragging his head up to force him to watch. "Open containment pod one."

          The kid doesn't even realize what's lying on the floor in front of him as the glass tube slides open. The black goop slides out, dropping onto the floor with a splat. It crawls towards David and David reaches out to it, letting it crawl up his arm. It's only when it sinks into his skin does he start to panic. 

          "Mr. Drake! It disappeared! What is this thing?! Where did it go?!"

          Drake sighs. "So naive, isn't he?" he draws closer to speak in a whisper next to Eddie's ear. "He doesn't even realize what it's going to do to him. Not until it's too late. It's a shame that humans aren't more versatile, don't you think?"

          Eddie freezes at the sound of bones cracking and David gasps, his body contorting. The veins in his arms and face start to bulge and he chokes, spine twisting out at an awkward angle. He screams and Eddie can only stare.

          "Mr. Drake! Help me! Please!"

          His skin gets pale and all of the roundness of his young features sinks as he's sucked dry. He's still screaming, tearing at his skin as much as he can. Black spills from his eye sockets and his nail beds, his body not able to handle hosting the symbiote. Eddie closes his eyes as David's screaming dies in a whimper and he collapses. When he opens them again, the goop expels itself, crawling back into its cage.

          "Why are you doing this?" Eddie whispers, ignoring the hollow sound of his own voice.

          "I told you, Mr. Brock. To save the world." He drops Eddie's head, chuckling softly. "Humans. Such fragile beings, aren't we? What would you do, Mr. Brock, to be better? We could be gods."

          "You're sick." Eddie spits.

          Drake shrugs. "Maybe. Though, after I try out some of my new vaccines on you, you won't be one to judge." He looks down at Eddie. "Still, that'll be after I'm through with the torture. At least you'll have finally made a contribution to mankind."

          A weight of dread sinks into Eddie's stomach and they pull his chair back to the cell.

          Drake wastes no time, torturing him well into the night. By morning, Eddie has been unconscious for three hours, and Drake is long gone. Burns cross his skin in long strips, spanning across his abdomen and chest, his shirt melted to him. His face is swollen and the cut on his lip is crusted over. The soft skin of his left cheek is still sluggishly bleeding from a hit which may have cracked something. 

          Eddie lets out a long groan, coming around in a haze. His breaths are painful and everything aches. 

          "Mr. Brock?" a small voice murmurs, standing just outside the glass. 

          His head snaps up and he regrets it immediately, the burns on his neck pulling and his lungs constricting. He gasps, tilting his head back a little. Once his nervous system calms a bit, Eddie turns his head slowly back to the glass.

          "Mr. Brock, are you all right?"

          Eddie can't resist the sarcasm straining to be let free. "You aren't blind, are you? I'd assume you aren't since you're looking right at me, so I'm gonna go ahead and say that question answers itself."

          "I'm sorry this is happening to you."

          "Then why don't you use your little badge there and let me out, eh?"

          "I can't."

          Eddie glares. "And why the hell not?"

          She straightens her lab coat and he catches a glimpse of her name tag. "We all have families to protect, Mr. Brock. I wish that I could help you."

          "Then why are you standing here if you aren't letting me go?" Eddie huffs. "Just wanted to let me know how sorry you are?"

          "I wanted to ask you why you got into this whole thing. It's stupid to go after one of the smartest men in the world."

          Eddie chuckles, wincing as it jostles his injuries. "Thanks for that." he grimaces. "I'm a reporter. I find a lead and I chase it until it goes cold or my body turns up in the bay." 

          "Pretty ludicrous for a job."

          "Yours isn't looking much safer from where I'm sitting."

          Her smile is off, nervous in a way. "Probably not." her eyes flick around. "My name is Dora Skirth."

          Eddie raises a brow. "I'd shake your hand, but...." he wiggles his fingers, which are completely numb now. "I'm a little tied up at the moment."

          It's her turn to glare at him. "You aren't the only one with problems, Mr. Brock. Mr. Drake threatened my daughter, and I'm not about to let her get hurt. You got yourself into this."

          Eddie sucks in a pained breath. "Well, Dr. Skirth, you got the answer to your question. You can go now."

          She gives him one last sympathetic glance before walking away, heels clicking on the floor. Eddie relaxes, slumping as much as he can. He falls back asleep within a few minutes, pain making him weary. He only comes back around sometime later because someone knocks on the glass.

          "Oh, yay. You're back." Eddie muses, looking up at Carlton Drake's ugly face. "I was starting to think you'd left me all by my lonesome."

          He smiles, undeterred by Eddie's attitude. "We've got three more volunteers for tonight, Mr. Brock. I figured you might like to see our progress."

          "Thanks, but no thanks."

          He huffs. "You don't have much of a choice."

          Just like before, the guards pull his chair over to the lab, but he isn't faring well. Still, Eddie persists in making snide comments while they get set up. Eventually, Drake sighs, running a hand over his face and turning to the shelf unit behind him. 

          "You know, I am so tired of hearing your voice." Drake says, his tone far away as if the comment is an afterthought in his search. 

          Eddie gets a little nervous as he clatters around in his blind spot. "So? I don't suppose you're one for cutting out tongues are you?"

          "No. I suppose you're right. That's why we keep these around. Usually they're for people who aren't supposed to move their mouths after a surgery, but with the modifications we've made to it, it should do the trick." He comes around to Eddie's front, presenting him with a black muzzle-looking thing. There's a mouthpiece.

          Eddie clamps his mouth shut.

          "I expected that, but somehow I doubt your silence will last." he smirks, probably laughing at his own joke on the inside. "I'd suggest you open your mouth, Mr. Brock."

          Eddie shakes his head. 

          Drake sighs, obviously annoyed with how stubborn he's being. "This sin't how I wanted things to go."

          Eddie doesn't even have the time to realize that he's screwed before he's screaming. The mouthpiece goes in and Eddie nearly chokes as they cinch it tight. Drake pulls his hand from where he was jamming his fingers into the burn on Eddie's stomach. Eddie groans, choking back the pitiful whimper that threatens to leave him instead.

          "That's better." Carlton says, an almost indifferent expression on his face. "Now, we are all set to watch the next candidate, don't you think?" he pats Eddie's shoulder. 

          He sends for the first volunteer and Eddie cringes as he's introduced. He's middle-aged, looking just about as shoddy as David.

          "Mr. Brock, meet our first subject for tonight. His name is Eric."

          He doesn't last long, the red symbiote making much more of a mess than the black one. Eric is now covering the far walls, sliding down the plexiglass windows with bits and pieces of hair scattered in it.

          "Hmm." Drake sighs, seemingly unimpressed. "It's a shame, isn't it? That humans are so fragile. Our bodies barely sustain us, let alone the symbiotes too."

          Eddie closes his eyes, swallowing down his terror.

          "Oh, don't tell me you're squeamish already. We still have two more volunteers." 

          Eddie takes in a fluttery breath through his nose, cracking his eyes open just enough to see. The next person comes in and Eddie's eyes widen upon recognition. She turns upon seeing the blood and the door seals behind her.

          She looks at the people behind the glass, eyes landing on Eddie. He can see the moment that she realizes who he is. She runs to the glass.

          "Eddie? Eddie, help me! I don't know- They, they offered me money- I didn't know about-" she glances back at the blood. "What happened to you?"

          Drake chuckles, looking down at Eddie with a sick smile. "You know her. Even better." He orders Dr. Skirth to open the first pod, the black symbiote crawling out to get her. "I suppose that you know this is Maria, then, hmm?"

          "Eddie? What's happening?" she says, voice raising in pitch as the goop inches closer, her back pressed up against the glass now.

          Eddie looks away when it sinks into her skin, expecting her to start screaming any minute now. He only dares to peek again when she doesn't after a full minute.

          She's still alive. He sighs in relief, tilting his head back a little. Drake is not happy.

          "What's it doing?"

          "She's still deteriorating. One of her kidneys just disappeared from our scans."

          "It's taking it slower." Drake murmurs. "It's learning."

          Eddie doesn't have time to wonder what that means when a group of guards pulls Maria from the cell and puts her in the one just across from his own. She screams at them to let her go, but it's no use. 

          Eddie's next four hours are filled with misery. Maria watches over him with rapt attention, his breaths painful and short. The muzzle is not helping.

          They untie him sometime during the next day, but not before making him watch another person explode from the red symbiote's work and another round of torture. He's huddled in the corner of his cell now, every movement causing pain to bloom through his nervous system. Maria murmurs his name and he musters enough energy to look at her. 

          "It'll be okay."

          Eddie tries to convey his own bit of reassurance for her, but he fails miserably. _How can you still believe that?_

          "I got you a newspaper yesterday morning, right before they came to me." she whispers softly.

          Eddie presses his head against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut. He shivers, the temperature in his cell turned down because Drake a disgusting human being who isn't worth a speck of dirt. Maria's is turned down too, but for entirely different reasons. The symbiote is starting to eat away at her insides faster, probably starving. They both can see her scans on the small holo-screen, and neither are very optimistic about her chances. Eddie is ashamed to admit that he thinks she's lucky. At least it'll kill her before Drake gets any ideas. He doesn't want to hurt his precious symbiote. It's not even the symbiote's fault.

          Maria protests when they come for him again, Drake finally tiring of the torture sessions and moving on. The panic coursing through him is the only thing that keeps him conscious.

          Drake is already in his lab coat, needle in his hand with a vaccine at the ready. Eddie barely feels the needle go in and that's it. They just leave him on the floor, shaking as he wonders what they just put in him. His skin burns with fever, and his ears are ringing. On the upside, everything is numb now, so he couldn't feel the rest of his injuries if he tried.

          Drake seems almost disappointed when Eddie is still alive at the end of two days, though he is still miserable.

          Maria stares at him blankly through the glass now. The symbiote is stripping away her higher functions and she's barely a shell now. The only thing left for him to take comfort in is the almost serene smile on her face. It occurs to him that she'll probably be dead by morning. Whenever morning is. 

          He closes his eyes for only a moment. Still, when he opens them, Maria is being hauled away, eyes glassy, and the black goop is splashing around in its glass case again. He sheds a few tears for her, too exhausted to do much else. It's not long after then when they give him a second vaccine and then a third. Eddie can barley move, his skin a sickly green color.

           His heart leaps up into his throat when they open his cell to take him.

          "Since it appears that we have a free body lying around, I thought we'd give it a go, Mr. Brock."

           _Free body?_  

          "You're dying anyway." Drake shrugs, unbuckling the muzzle.

          Eddie stills, and they toss him into the lab room. They've cleaned up the blood since the last time and the other bodies have been removed. The red symbiote is nowhere to be seen, and Eddie can only assume that it ended up like the blue one. The glass case holding the black symbiote is placed back on its stand and Eddie lies on the cold floor, shaking feebly.  _You're dying anyway._ Eddie squeezes his eyes shut. At least it'll be over soon.

          He hears the order to open the tank and his eyes flick up to the case. The symbiote crawls towards him, slowing in its approach.

          "What's-" he coughs, voice breaking. "What are waiting for?"

          It reaches out a pair of tentacles, wrapping around Eddie's neck like an awkward version of a hug. Eddie sucks in a shaky breath, resigning himself to death before the symbiote even sinks into his skin. It does so slowly and Eddie doesn't find its presence all that bad. Maybe he's just in too much pain to really care.

          **Need** **to seize.**

          Eddie jolts.  _What the-_

           **You pretend....now or....die. Both human and symbiote.**

          Eddie has no idea what to do, so he lies there, paralyzed. His body starts to move on its own, thrashing without his permission. Eddie is all too aware of Drake's satisfied smile just outside the room. Still, eventually Eddie's body stills and he finds that he's still alive.

           **Escape... possible. Patience.**

          Eddie doesn't know what to do about the voice in his head, but he won't say a word about it. If Drake hadn't wanted him to suffer, he would have killed him with the red symbiote and had it over with. He wonders if going insane is just a part of it. The voice remains silent as they drag him from the room and put him back in his cell. 

           **Patience.**

          The voice reminds him of this, though in his condition, he doesn't have any clue where he would end up going. He stews in his misery, waiting for the symbiote to realize that they aren't going anywhere and he's dying and it may as well just kill him. 

           **Not hurt.... Eddie.**

          "What, you feel sorry for me now? Look at you. You're as much a captive as I am."

          The symbiote shifts inside him and Eddie shudders. He thinks the symbiote might be eating his brain as old memories flash in front of his eyes, coming right up to the present, but then he realizes that it's  _learning_. 

           **I will not hurt you. I barely fed on your right kidney, just enough to fool our captors into believing I was eating you.**

          "Are you still?"

           **.... A little. I will grow it back for you after we escape.**

          "You- you can do that?" Eddie asks.

           **How do you feel?**

          Eddie is about to tell it that he feels like he just got put through a garbage disposal, but then he realizes.

          Nothing hurts anymore. 

          He bolts upright, patting himself down. "How in the- How did you do that?!"

           **Outsides are easy. Your insides are still..... confused.**

          "So, you were serious, about escaping?"

           **You want to stay here?**

          Eddie shakes his head. "Not really. What exactly did you have in mind?"

           **Next time they come to take you from your cell, we escape.**

          Eddie nods, pushing himself back into the corner of the small room. He shivers, the temperature colder now than it was before, mostly for the benefit of the symbiote, he supposes. The wait is a long one, and the symbiote informs him multiple times that he's starving. 

          "Weren't you eating me?"

           **Not enough, but you are a good host. You are a perfect match, and if I ate you, there would be no time for me to find another.**

          "No time? Do you have somewhere to be?"

           **We are going to come to this world and take it over.**

          Eddie coughs. "Sorry, what?! You're talking about world domination! You can't do that!"

           **And why not?**

          "Because its wrong, that's why. There are good, innocent people here."

          The symbiote swishes around in Eddie's chest, confused.  **They were torturing you. I saw it. You still defend them?**

          "No- I mean, yes? No, just.... not them, but other people."

          It pages through Eddie's thoughts, latching onto the first name that comes to him.  **Who is Anne?**

          "Anne is... Anne is my fiancee."

          It searches for what that means before settling again.  **You are to be bonded?**

          Eddie shrugs. "I don't.... maybe. I don't even know that she'll want me after this because I... I used her."

           **How?**

          Eddie sighs. "I'll give you a clue. It landed me here."

          The symbiote doesn't bother to look into Eddie's memories again, going for the next positive name on the list.  **Maria was that woman?**

          "Yeah. Really sweet." he chuckles. "A bit of a con artist if you ask me."

           **She wanted to help you.**

          Eddie nods, leaning into the wall a little more. "Not everyone deserves to die. She didn't."

           **I am.... sorry, about Maria.**

          "It's not your fault. Drake wants you to find a host."

           **Then it is good that he thinks I am killing you.**

          "He wants to go to your planet."

           **He'd just be killing himself. One of our leaders would use him as a host and pilot more of us here on his rocket. Still, he would be a strong host as well. We can smell it on him.**

          "So why not jump into him instead of me, who is a wreck?"

           **Not a host for us.**

          "Oh, right. The... perfect match thing you mentioned."

           **Yesss.**

          Eddie peers at the glass, still waiting for someone to come so that he can get out of here. He jumps when he sees his reflection, clapping a hand over his mouth to stop an undignified yelp from coming out. " _Holy_ -" he glances down at himself and then back at the reflection.

           **Do not be afraid, Eddie. We will not harm you.**

          Eddie presses his hand to his forehead, releasing a calming breath. "Right. We."

          The symbiote's reflection nods.

          "But you are still eating me, right?"

           **Not a lot. We'll eat the guards instead when they come and then fix you.**

          "Okay.... but, eat them how?"

           **Just their heads.**

          Eddie would be disgusted, but he can't bring himself to be. Not after they helped Drake torture him. "My mouth isn't big enough to fit a head."

           **It won't be your mouth.**

          Eddie doesn't even wonder what kind of sense that makes. There is an alien living in his body right now. 

          "So, what do I call you?"

           **Venom.**

          "Well, buddy, nice to meet you. Eddie Brock."

           **Your acquaintance is noted. Now we wait.**

          

          By the time Drake returns, it's been a few more days and the symbiote is getting weaker. It has already informed him that they won't be able to fight, but that it won't risk feeding from Eddie any further. Eddie is amazed because he is  _starving_. It's been forever since he ate anything, and they stopped giving him the IVs when Drake injected him with the first vaccine. 

          "So, still alive and kicking, Mr. Brock."

          "Does that upset you? I would say that I'm sorry, but I seem to be lacking a little bit in the sympathy department right now."

          Drake scowls, his jaw clenching. "We're running a few tests today, just to see how things are going."

          "Oh, they're great, just perfect. I've always dreamed of having an alien in my body, because I sure was having troubles eating my organs on my own."

          "Br. Brock, if you continue to speak like this, I will not hesitate to have your mouth sewn shut." He swipes his card to open the cell. "How would you like that?"

          Eddie shrugs. "If you're into that kinda thing. I mean, I think it's weird-"

          He sees the fist coming from a mile away, but it still dazes him. His mouth hurts and he's pretty sure his lip is bleeding again.  _Don't try to heal it. Don't._

           **If they want us to live, they will have to feed us. Soon, Eddie.**

          Eddie wipes his face, squinting at the blood on his fist. "You know, you hit like a girl."

          Drake actually smirks, a little predatory. "Takes one to know one."

           **We can give him that one. It was good.**

          Eddie laughs, curling up on his side as a work boot slams into his stomach. He wheezes, sides still stitching up with laughter.

          "What is so funny, Mr. Brock?" Drake says.

          Eddie groans, dragging himself up again. "Nothing, I just.... I got a good look at your face." 

          Venom is vaguely amused.

          Drake gestures to his men and they pull Eddie from the room, moving in the opposite direction. Eddie watching his surroundings as he walks, barely fighting them on it. They get to yet another lab room and step inside, strapping him to the table and then backing off. The glass door slides shut.

          Eddie is sorely tempted to make a dirty joke, but the symbiote warns him against it. He stays silent, only watching as the nerds behind the glass watch their screens with interest. They sit in silence for a good fifteen minutes and Eddie thinks nothing is going to happen when he hears a low noise. 

           **Uh-oh.**

           _Uh-oh? What uh-oh? What's going on?_

           **We are vulnerable to noise, and they are about to find the proper range.**

           _Maybe they'll stop or something?_

           **That philosophy works for you?**

           _No._ Eddie answers, nearly moping.

          Agony tears through his chest the very moment that it gets in the 'proper range'. Venom screams inside him and Eddie's throat runs dry as the symbiote thrashes. 

          "Whoa, stop stop! You're hurting it!" Drake snaps. 

          Eddie pants with relief as the sound stops and Venom swirls down near his gut, murderous rage moving to Eddie's thoughts.

           _Easy, buddy. We won't get far if they know I can talk to you._

           **We must feed.**

           _Then eat the rest of that kidney. We only need one anyway._

          **You like to drink. Trust me, you need both.** There's a pause.  **What's something else I can safely eat?**

           _I dunno. I've.... I've still got my appendix._

          Venom shoots him the equivalent of a confused blink. 

           _Seriously? Just... I'm sure there's an anatomy lesson somewhere in my head. Just find it and eat it. All sorts of fun stuff in there._

           **..... But, it serves a purpose.**

           _Yeah, but I don't need it._ Eddie glances at Drake and the other doctors who are recording results as fast as they can scribble them.  _Look, I appreciate that you're being careful, but you are probably my only way to get out of here, and if you need food, we'll find it. You can have my body fat if you haven't already helped yourself to it. Get creative, buddy._

          Just as Eddie thinks Venom is about to agree, Drake says some-such about sending something in. Eddie can feel Venom bounce excitedly when he notes that it's a pig. A very, very large pig.

           **Edible?**

           _Very._

           **Be right back.**  

          Eddie screams as Venom leaps from his chest, watching with horrid fascination as Venom covers the pig. It squeals in distress, but its screams don't compare to David's, or even a few of the other "volunteers". Venom makes quick work of it, pretty much absorbing the pig before jumping back into Eddie's body. Eddie plays up his freak-out kind of a lot.

          Eventually, he calms. Venom informs him that he's feeling well enough to escape now and Eddie holds back a smile. Small tendrils move to undo the straps and Eddie keeps an eye out. Venom holds onto the straps and they wait for the moment when everyone is distracted. 

           **Now!**

          Eddie leaps from the table headed straight for the door. He kicks it, sending the plexiglass pane crashing into the first guard. Venom lashes out with a tentacle, yanking another guard into range. Eddie is engulfed inside the symbiote and Venom bites the head right off of the guy. 

          Drake stares after Eddie as he runs from the building. "He- He achieved symbiosis.  _How?_ "

          Venom forms a head just long enough to look back at Drake and growl before they disappear around the corner. Eddie rips the elevator doors open, Venom springing them up through the hatch and up the elevator shaft. Climbing straight up the wall with Venom's claws shredding the metal as he goes is a bit exhilarating. They crawl out and the PA system crackles as Drake orders his men not to let Eddie escape. Venom is having none of it, removing a grate to crawl around in the air ducts and replacing it before anyone can see where they've gone. The first room they arrive in has no windows and they move on to the next one. 

          "Wait, wait. Buddy, wait!"

           **What? Did you want to go back and let them shoot you?**

          "What? No. This is the server room."

          Venom forces him to move to the next duct when there's banging on a door a few rooms down.  **No time. We have to keep moving.**

          Eddie unfortunately agrees and they make their way to the front doors, but the only way to go is down. Venom asks what Eddie wants to do and Eddie shrugs. Venom takes that as permission to do what he wants and leaps down the vent. They crawl out into the parking garage.

          Finally getting somewhere, Eddie drops down behind a guard and Venom takes this one's head too. Venom is thrilled to have a full meal after so long of barely feeding himself on Eddie's organs. 

          "You are gonna fix my organs, right?"

           **I fixed it. Though I did eat a little of your fat to make room in here.**

          "Room? Room for what?"

          Venom strikes out at three guards, swiping out with a huge tentacle to clear a path to Eddie's bike.  **Room for me, of course.**

          Eddie jumps on his bike, rolling for the gate as fast as possible. Venom smashes through it and they speed away, fleeing for their lives. It's not long before drones start to chase after them and Venom orders Eddie to duck. Eddie is so confused that he doesn't even move so Venom does it for him. Eddie spends the next ten minutes in a horrifying high-speed car chase with the alien in his body helping him make turns that should definitely  _not_ be possible. 

          Crashing terrifies him more then the alien in his body. He's pretty certain that Venom is riding a surfboard on the waves of adrenaline running through him, but Eddie is too busy whimpering on the ground to care. With barely a second thought, Venom pieces him back together and Eddie is enveloped in the symbiote again. He takes the few moments of calm to steady his pulse from warp-factor 2. Venom snacks down on another head and Eddie shudders.

           _Look, I get that you're hungry, but could we please stop doing that?_

           **It's that or I eat you.**

          Eddie sulks a little bit, only forcing back revulsion as the next head runs down Venom's gullet.

          Once Venom has had enough, he gets out of sight, jumping into the bay. Eddie watches the bubbles as they zip through the water, Venom's swimming skills a lot faster than Eddie is used to. Venom deposits him as gently as possible on the other side, leaving him sitting so he doesn't fall down. 

          Eddie appreciates it, but he's still a little weirded out. "Buddy, we just ate like ten people."

          A slimy form peeks out of his shoulder, forming a head and two rows of  _very_ sharp teeth.  **"Would you rather be dead?"**

          "No, but that's.... I.... that's gross. It feels like there's still hair in my throat."

          " **That means it's working."**

          "What's working?"

          Venom narrows those expressionless eyes at him, hesitance flowing through their bond. 

          "Venom, what did you fix?"

          " **I may have eaten a little of your larynx."**

          "My- Venom!"

          " **You can talk, right? You're fine."**

          The head recedes and Eddie swipes a hand over his face, getting up on unsteady legs to head home. He notes that he is completely dry and takes a little comfort in it, rubbing his arms as the wind blows in across the water. 

          His brain leads him directly to Anne's house. She's cleaning up in the dining room and she glances up through the window. She drops the plate that she was picking up and sprints out the door.

          "Eddie! Edide, oh my- Where have you been?!"

          Eddie smiles as her. "Annie."

          She reaches a hand up to his face. "You went missing weeks ago." she whispers, her fingers shaking as she cups his face.

          "Annie, I'm so, so, so sorry. I- I didn't think about what I was.... I found that file and, I just, I couldn't stop my-"

          She wraps her arms around him. "I was angry, Eddie. I was, but you never came home. I waited and I thought... I thought you might come home when you felt brave enough, but then you didn't and-" she chokes, sniffling and burying her head in his shoulder. "What happened to you?"

          Eddie breathes in her sweet scent and tries to hold back the shake that thinking about it brings him. "They knocked me out, and then they tortured me. I was.... I, they, burned me an- and I..." he heaves out a breath to calm himself. "They put a muzzle on me to shut me up and-"

          She laughs, but it comes out as more of a sob. "I'm sorry. Sorry. Keep going." she grips his back a little tighter.

          "They injected me with untested vaccines, and-" he breaks off, sucking in a calming breath. 

          "And?"

          " _They made me watch the human trials._ "

          Anne stills. "What?"

          "It was... awful." Eddie swallows down bile. "They shriveled and they exploded and no one survived. They were trying to find hosts for these things called... called symbiotes and _not one_ survived." Eddie pulls back, swallowing again as he looks at her. "No one, except for me."

          Her hand covers her mouth and she looks over him. He knows what he must look like. There are holes in his shirt and what's left of his pants. Parts of it are still crusted with his blood. She feels his skin, right where the burns would be and his face where blood is dried onto him with no wound in sight.

          "You aren't hurt."

          Eddie laughs, but the sound in hollow. "Anne, the trial saved my life. This-" he puts out his palm and a head emerges from his skin. She leaps back, terrified. "-is Venom."

          "Is he.... an alien?"

          "Yeah. Drake called them symbiotes, but.... I think he prefers Venom."

           **"We are pleased to meet you, Anne. Eddie has happy memories of you."**

          Eddie flushes, looking up at her. She reaches out to the symbiote and touches it, rubbing his fingers over the black goo. "It's... incredible. Strange, but.... incredible."

          The symbiote presses into her hand.  **"What is this action called?"**

          She lets out a nervous laugh. "It's called 'petting'."

          Venom doesn't respond, only narrowing those white eyes and leaning closer.

          "One side-effect of my new friend living in my body is.... well, he- um- he's hungry, like a lot."

          "For?"

          Eddie grimaces. "Heads."

          She nearly jerks her hand away, but somehow, the symbiote looks so forlorn at the loss of her touch that she continues to pet him. 

          "You eat.... heads, now?"

          "Not only heads." Eddie shrugs. "At least I hope not. We only escaped like a half-hour ago."

          Anne lets a long breath, trying to calm down a bit. Strange, because she looks very composed. "Eddie, you need to go to a hospital."

          "I don't know-"

          Venom's eyes turn to him, but he speaks only in Eddie's head.  **You should, if only to reassure her.**

          Eddie nods, following Anne as she beckons him towards her car. Venom lets his tongue loll free for a few seconds before slurping it back in and receding into Eddie's skin.

          "I don't want some random doctor to find out about this, Annie. They'll try to take Venom, and he can't survive without a host."

          "Don't worry. I have a friend at the hospital. His name is Dan and he'll take good care of you." Eddie takes a little comfort in that, but he also notes how she stumbles over the word 'friend'.

          Venom takes note of his discomfort, but he doesn't say anything. 

          "Annie, I know that after what I did, I don't have any right to ask you this, but-" he sighs. "Are you and Dan seeing each other?"

          "It's.... sort of complicated. He was helping me look for you, and then I realized that I really liked him and things just... progressed." She glances over at him. "I thought you were gone. I didn't know-"

          Eddie wipes his brow, feeling a bit too warm, but not altogether terrible. Not like before he got Venom. "It's okay, Annie. I was actually.... I was worried that you'd hate me, and that you might have lost everything somehow."

          Her smile is strained. "Well, I um, I lost my job, and I went to another company. I also went looking for you to yell at you and swear at you, but... well, obviously I know where you were now."

          Eddie grimaces. "Yeah."

          "So.... what are you going to do after seeing Dan? I mean, are they going to look for you?"

          Eddie nods solemnly. "Most definitely. I have Venom, and they want him back."

          "What if.... what if they try to kill you?"

          He sighs and Venom sloshes nervously in his chest. "We'll figure it out." An inky tendril extends from his chest to wrap around Eddie's finger when it's offered. "We'll figure it out, Annie." he looks up at her. "I promise."

          "Good."

           **And then we'll get Anne back from Dan?**

          Eddie chuckles. "We'll see, buddy."

          Annie covers her mouth to hide a smile. "It is  _so_ weird when you talk to it like that."

          "It has definitely taken some getting-used to on my end, too."

          Anne nods succinctly and turns resolutely on her heel, opening her car door. "Come on. I'll call Dan on the way."

          Eddie hesitates for only a moment before Venom tells him to get in the car.  **We trust her.**

          Eddie nods, shrugs his shoulder and hopping into the passengers seat.  _Buddy, I think we just got onto the fast track to trouble._

           **Pussy.**

**Author's Note:**

> Any comments from the peanut gallery would be wonderful! I have been trying to figure out how to end this for a couple weeks now and I finally got it handled.  
> Thanks for reading! :)


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